


Flourish

by Scauby



Category: Stray Kids (Band)
Genre: Alcohol Abuse/Alcoholism, Alternate Universe - Harry Potter Setting, Alternate Universe - Hogwarts, Angst, Anxiety, Child Abuse, Crying, Depression, Fake Character Death, Fluff, Fluff and Angst, Friends to Lovers, Friendship, Happy Ending, Kidnapping, M/M, Mental Health Issues, Non-Graphic Violence, Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder - PTSD, Self-Discovery, Slow Burn, Social Anxiety, Torture
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-12-31
Updated: 2020-12-31
Packaged: 2021-03-10 23:42:52
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,894
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28405713
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Scauby/pseuds/Scauby
Summary: 'Survive' and 'thrive' are not synonymous.Hwang Hyunjin has spent the last (and only) 17 years of his life surviving. With the support of newfound friends, Hyunjin turns his life around and finally begins to thrive.
Relationships: Bang Chan/Lee Minho | Lee Know, Han Jisung | Han/Hwang Hyunjin, Lee Felix/Seo Changbin
Comments: 8
Kudos: 23





	Flourish

**Author's Note:**

> This story means a lot to me. I’ve been planning it for a few months now and I’m finally happy enough to start posting!  
> Not all of the tags have been decided, but I’ve tagged what I can. As soon as any other tags are necessary, I will be sure to add them!  
> *All of the members are in their 7th year.

“It’s moving!” 

“ _Argh!_ ”

Jeongin banged his knee into the table, frightened by Hyunjin’s sneak attack from behind. “I know! I’ve been trying to enchant it all morning. It finally worked!”

The little brown butterfly fluttered back and forth between the painted flowers, as if it were feeding on their nectar. The movement was slow, but it was progress!

“I thought I had it earlier, but I just made the wings move. Now it's sentient!” 

Jeongin held the portrait up proudly, mesmerised by his work. He’d been trying to successfully animate a portrait since last week, spending hours walking around the school grounds searching for the perfect subject; one small enough for his magical capabilities, but not so small that any other student with his skill level could just as easily enchant. He chose a butterfly he found near the greenhouses. 

“You’ve got free periods today, right? What have you been up to?”

Hyunjin chuckled guiltily, “I just woke up for lunch. I’ve got Double Potions next.” 

“Ahhh, I see.”

“Have you eaten?” 

“Well…” Jeongin smiled sheepishly, “I finished my portrait! So now I can!” 

Alarmed, Hyunjin jumped out of his seat, encouraging Jeongin to do the same, “Lunch is over in five minutes!”

Jeongin dismissed him calmly, “Don’t worry, I’ll just eat something from my stash.” 

Hyunjin was concerned, but there was nothing he could do. “Please don’t make a habit of skipping lunch. I know you’ve been busy with your painting,” he pokes him, “but you can’t paint if you’re dead.”

Surprise coloured Jeongin’s face after being poked, then a grin, “You’re so dramatic, don’t you have class? Since when do you pester me? And since when do you _poke_ me!?” 

Hyunjin looked a little guilty at that, “Uh–, sorry, was that not okay?” He was worried now, afraid he had crossed a line. He doesn’t really understand why he decided to poke the boy. 

Seeing his face fall, Jeongin quickly became serious, “No no no, it was fine! I just wasn’t expecting you to do it.”

“Are you sure? Because I really won’t if you don’t want me to.”

“No it’s okay, I promise.” Jeongin smiled reassuringly as he packed away his belongings. “It’s a compliment. It means you’re getting more comfortable with me, right?” He seemed excited about that. 

Pink splotched at Hyunjin’s neck as he quietly replied, “I think so.” 

“That’s amazing, then.” 

As their lunch break came to an end, the boys exited the Library, Hyunjin heading to Potions and Jeongin to his dorm. Just as Hyunjin was going to say goodbye, the younger boy cut in. 

“It seems only fair that I poke you back,” he grinned menacingly. 

“Is that so?” Hyunjin scoffed fondly. “Okay, go for i– _Ouch!_ I didn’t do it that hard!”

The little pest scampered away, “Have fun in Potions! I’ll have fun eating!” 

||

With 6th year behind him and the surprising turnout of his Summer holiday, Hyunjin approached his first week of 7th year with a more positive mindset. It was Thursday now, and so far things hadn’t been too bad. 

Hyunjin usually had a greater tolerance for Potions. The students kept mostly to themselves, paying close attention to the instructions for whatever potion they were currently brewing, and the professor was easy going, as long as students didn’t misbehave. 

Today, however, Hyunjin felt eyes glued to his back. 

Hyunjin made his way to the supply cupboard, on a quest for a new spoon to replace the one Jaemin had just broken. 

Professor Docherty, the Potions Master, intercepted him on his return to his table.

“I’ve seen you at the cupboard multiple times today, Mr. Hwang, but never brewing the potion. In order to pass this class, you must be skilled in every aspect of the potion-making process.”

“... I know, Professor, I’m just not feeling well today.”

This didn’t help his case, “If I recall correctly, you didn’t brew any potions yourself last term, either. Unless you have been unwell since last year, I’m afraid this excuse won’t hold up.”

He was right...

“May I ask that you and Mr. Na switch places?”

Begrudgingly, with his head hung low, Hyunjin took up Jaemin’s position, stirring in the final ingredients according to the guide.

Things were going well; the cauldron’s murky contents were at a rolling boil, all according to plan. Once he reached the final stage (to recite the incantation that would finalise the antidote), Hyunjin asked Jaemin if he wanted to do the honours. 

Eager to help, Jaemin approached the cauldron, hand at the ready.

Luck was never on Hyunjin’s side. 

Docherty appeared to their left, “Mr. Hwang, I’m positive I asked you to finish brewing the potion.”

At this, Jaemin perked up, “It’s okay, sir, I’m more than happy to finish it myself.”

“I commend your eagerness to participate, Mr. Na, but if Mr. Hwang is unable to sufficiently complete class work, he won’t pass this class.”

Hyunjin stood there, splotchy redness overwhelming his chest, thankfully hidden by his robes, with no idea what to do. 

“Please cast the final incantation, Mr. Hwang.”

He didn’t know what to say. The tension at their table was high; a stark contrast to the comfortable atmosphere surrounding the rest of the classroom. 

“Mr. Hwang, are you refusing?”

Hyunjin’s fingers twitched, almost reaching for his bag where his wand should be, but he stopped. 

Docherty observed him for a moment, perplexed. “As you wish. I’ll need you to stay behind after class and I will assign you–”

“ _What!?_ ”

At the table across the room, his dormmate, Lee Felix, looked alarmed as everyone, including the Potions Master, turned to him. Beside him, Han Jisung’s eyes glimmered as he bit his lips closed, clearly amused at something. 

“Mr. Lee and Mr. Han, you can join Mr. Hwang for detention this evening. Please stay behind after class.”

When Docherty turned back to Hyunjin, displeasure written on his face, Hyunjin spotted Jisung fall into his table out of the corner of his eye, silent laughter taking over his body. “After class I will assign you detention.”

Hyunjin and the professor held eye contact for several seconds before Hyunjin looked down and stepped back, subtly shrinking behind Jaemin, allowing him to finish brewing the potion. 

||

Hyunjin stood awkwardly beside the professor’s desk, switching his weight between his feet. In front of him, Jisung and Felix stood together, awaiting the same punishment. The air was awkward, for Hyunjin at least. He and Felix were on acquaintance terms, never having interacted outside of the odd greeting or small conversation, being dorm-mates. He knew Jisung by name and appearance, but he and the Ravenclaw never had any reason to interact. 

Once all other students had left, Docherty approached. 

“Your punishment today will be to restock the Potions storeroom. I’ve created this list of the items you will need to retrieve. All can be found within Hogwarts’ grounds. Once you’ve retrieved the items, please leave them on my desk. You can go before or after dinner, it is up to you. Just make sure you aren't out after curfew.” 

With that, a short roll of parchment was handed to Felix and the boys were abruptly dismissed. 

In the corridor, the boys closely examined the list. The items seemed easy enough to find. For a detention, it wasn’t as terrible as they’d anticipated. 

They would probably find moondew at the greenhouses. Daisies and roots of asphodel might be a little more tricky, as they would need to wander around the grounds to find enough. What worried the boys the most was wiggentree bark. It was common knowledge that the only wiggentrees in Hogwarts were on Bowtruckle Island, guarded by bowtruckles. And yet, the Potions Master hadn’t given them any woodlice or fairy eggs. 

“Professor Kang should have some in her classroom,” Jisung announced.

Felix seemed worried. “Yeah, but I don't think she’ll be there this late.” 

“I’m sure she won’t mind us borrowing some woodlice. We can just sneak in. She’s the one that taught us about bowtruckles in the first place. She’d think we’re stupid if we just barged onto the island unprepared.”

Hyunjin silently listened while the boys discussed their options. It was nearing 4 o’clock, and if they didn’t leave soon, they wouldn’t finish in time for dinner. 

He suggested, “Maybe we should just go to her classroom. Worst case scenario, she isn’t there.” 

The boys walked briskly to the Care of Magical Creatures classroom, located near the greenhouses. And to their great dismay, when they peeped their heads through the door, Professor Kang was nowhere to be seen. 

“The door isn’t locked, so we’re not really breaking and entering,” Felix said matter-of-factly. 

Jisung whispered cautiously, “It’s still trespassing… Never mind let’s just get inside before we get caught.” 

Hyunjin jumped in first, eager to get this part over and done with. He immediately began their search for the little creatures, but stopped in his tracks when someone called out in the corridor.

“ _Felix!_ ”

Said Hufflepuff jumped, startled and wary of whoever called his name. “Oh! Bin!” 

Hyunjin creeped back over to the entrance and peeked out from behind the door. 

Seo Changbin approached, pouting, “I thought we were meeting at the library. You stood me up!” 

“Shit, I promise I wasn’t standing you up. I got detention!”

Changbin stopped outside the entrance. “ _You_ got _detention_?”

Felix scoffed, “I know, right? Docherty wasn’t in a happy mood today. Sung and I were just talking and–”

“I got dragged into this! He was screaming.” His friend laughed and pointed an accusatory finger at Felix. 

Felix appeared apologetic at that, “I’m sorry. But how else do you expect me to react to that!? You can’t just say something like that in the middle of class!”

The Slytherin grinned, “what did he say?”

At this, the boys seemed more conscious of Hyunjin’s presence, and what they were meant to be doing. 

“I’ll tell you tonight. Actually, great timing! You have this class. Do you know where we would find woodlice?”

“Why do you need woodlice?”

Felix frowned, “For detention. We’ve gotta restock the Potions Storeroom. Professor Docherty seems a little scary right now, so we don’t really want to ask him. We figured Professor Kang would have some!”

“She does. Behind the divider in the back. They’re in a little glass tank.” 

Hyunjin stood aside as the three boys entered the room. 

Sure enough, a small tank filled with branches and bark sat on a bench, housing hundreds of tiny woodlice. They scurried away while Felix struggled to capture any. A few humorous minutes later, after turning down Hyunjin’s awkward offer of help, they hastily exited the room with a dozen or so, kept alive in a travel jar. 

On their way out, Jisung patted Changbin on the butt, exclaiming sarcastically, “Thanks for making yourself useful!” 

Changbin ignored him, instead choosing to focus on Felix, the pout from before solidifying itself on his face once again, “What time will you be back?”

Jisung seemed impatient, “The more you talk, the longer we will take! Shoo! We’ll be back before dinner. We’ll meet in the Great Hall.” He forcefully pried Changbin’s hand from Felix’, exaggeratingly pulling Felix back into his own arms. 

Felix laughed at Changbin’s expression as the boy sulked away, then quickly turned to Hyunjin, sheepish, “Sorry, we can go now.”

Hyunjin quickly dismissed him, “No that’s fine. But we should hurry; it’s getting late.” 

||

Finding the first three items on the list ended up being a breeze. The greenhouse’s storage shed had freshly picked moondew already prepared for use in potions, and the boys found Daisies outside the Clocktower courtyard. Asphodel proved trickier, but they eventually found several flowers near the outskirts of the Great Lake’s shore. 

A boat was already waiting for them in the boathouse once they arrived, presumably prepared in advance by the Potions Master. With no professor present to command the boat, Hyunjin grabbed two oars from the rack on the wall. 

Back at the boat, Felix held the boat steady as he knelt from the platform, allowing Hyunjin to step in first, seating himself on the centre thwart. Jisung followed suit, first testing the waters by prodding the boat with one of the oars, a smile attempting to hide his nerves. 

Hyunjin leant forward, holding his hand out for him, “You need a hand?”

Jisung waved him off, “No I’m fine, just testing it.”

He took his first official step into the boat, overly confident, into the side closest to the platform, as opposed to the middle. The boat sunk under his foot, jerking towards the platform.

“Woah!”

Hyunjin didn’t hesitate to reach out for him, steadying him as he grabbed his arm. Felix hurried to calm the boat, steadying it in place with two hands now.

Jisung laughed humourlessly, clearly embarrassed. “Sorry…” 

“Don’t worry about it.” Hyunjin’s grip on his arm remained as Jisung climbed completely into the boat, only letting go once he cautiously sunk into the front seat. 

Felix finally climbed in, offering to row the boat for Hyunjin, who politely declined. 

It was slowly getting darker outside, the glare of the autumn sun bothering Hyunjin as he rowed south of the castle. Fifteen minutes later and they had almost reached the island. The boys could clearly make out the wiggentrees now, so they began to make a little plan, wary of the island’s protective inhabitants. 

“The big tree to the left should be the easiest to get bark from, and it looks older.” Hyunjin reasoned. 

Felix seemed happy with that, “How about one of us draws the bowtruckles away and keeps them occupied, while the other two sneak over and get the bark?”

Jisung scrunched up his nose, “Won’t it be a little difficult for one person to occupy all of the bowtruckles? There's quite a few of them.”

“Yes, but what if some of them decide to go to the tree anyway? It will be too difficult for one person to collect the bark _and_ ward off those things.” 

“I mean, with the woodlice, most of them should be distracted anyway. Only a few would even go over to the tree, if any.”

Hyunjin butted in, “I can get the bark! I should be able to manage a stray bowtruckle or two. I doubt there’ll be many. I think it would work best if two of us kept them occupied away from the tree.”

After further contemplation, the other two agreed. With that settled, Hyunjin focused his attention back on rowing. The island was only a hundred metres or so away by now. 

For some reason, the boat felt like it was getting heavier. At first Hyunjin chalked it up to being exhausted from rowing for so long, but when the boat only inched forward with every stroke, he knew something was amiss. 

Jisung perked up, “It’s not just me, right? We aren’t moving.”

Felix looked around, “Are we stuck on something?” 

Hyunjin shook his head, “We shouldn’t be. We aren’t close enough to shore yet for it to be the lake floor.”

Jisung grabbed one of the oars and began prodding the water, feeling for anything they could be stuck on. Hyunjin joined in. 

Felix studied the water, “If we were stuck on something, we should have felt it.”

“ _Argh!_ ”

Jisung, prodding the water at the stern of the boat, suddenly lurched forward, leaning outside of the boat. 

Then he fell backwards, lower back smashing into the seat. The oar he previously held was gone. 

The other boys, swaying, moved closer to him, making sure he was okay, careful to still distribute their weight. 

Felix rubbed his back for him, “ _Are you okay_? What the hell happened?”

“There was something on the oar! I don't know, I just pulled it up and it yanked me back down.”

Hyunjin rose to a kneeling position, looking deeply into the water, “What was it?”

“I don’t know! It had a tentacle. Maybe an octopus?”

“There aren’t octopuses in the Great Lake. It’s a lake.” 

“Why not? There’s a sq–”

He cut himself off with a yelp as the boat lurched to the right, a slimy green tentacle having reached inside the boat, gripping onto the gunwale. 

“It’s an octopus!”

Felix corrected him, “That’s a Grindylow!”

More appendages appeared beside it, running along the right side of the boat, latching onto the soaked wood. There were dozens of them, from what they could see. Only their tentacles emerged from the black water, completely occupied with holding onto the boat and leaving their teeth and arms submerged. As long as the boys stayed in the boat they seemed to be relatively out of harm's way. 

Which didn’t seem possible for much longer. 

Jisung’s jaw hung open, “There’s so many of them!” 

“ _What are they doing_?” Felix snatched the other oar from the ground and stabbed the tentacles, attempting to force them off. To no avail. 

“I think they’re trying to tip us.” Hyunjin jumped to the opposite side of the boat, leaning out as far as he reasonably could without falling overboard, “Lean out this way!”

Jisung quickly joined him, awkwardly jamming his feet underneath the thwart and leaning out. Felix went to follow their lead but never made it, falling to the floor as the right gunwale was roughly yanked down, a gush of water spilling over the side. 

Felix clenched onto the left gunwale for support, “It won’t work. There’s so many of them!” 

“ _Well how do we get rid of them?_ ” Jisung groaned. 

“I don't kn–” Felix hurriedly reached into his robe pocket, flicking his wand out and hastily casting a spell, “ _Relashio!_ ”

Dozens of tentacles flew back into the water, the Grindylow unwillingly releasing their grip of the boat. To their great misfortune, the Grindylow below the boat were unaffected by the spell, instead becoming more hostile and jostling the boat violently, changing their tactics to tipping the boat from below. 

As they were tossed back and forth, the boys deliberated on what to do next. They had to act quickly. 

“Cast it underwater,” Hyunjin urged. 

Felix hesitated, “I’m not sticking my hand under there. They’ll bite me!” 

“I didn’t say to stick your hand in the water.”

“Well I’ve already tried doing it from above and it doesn’t reach!”

“Just do it quickly, they might not even expect it.”

“You should do it. You seem more confident than me.” 

Hyunjin struggled to come up with an excuse, “You’ve already got your wand out, so it’s easy enough for you to just do it.” As he said this, a tentacle emerged from the water once again, slithering its way over the edge. “Hurry up or we’ll be in the water!” 

Jisung moved instead, brandishing his wand, shoving his hand underwater and casting the jinx. The Grindylow beneath were immediately pried off and the boat bounced upwards abruptly, no longer struggling due to the weight from below. 

“Finally!” Hyunjin and Felix found their way back to the thwart and began solving their next problem: they needed another oar. Felix spoke to Jisung, “Keep an eye out for them. If any grab onto us, jinx them. We’ll make a new oar and row together. It might be faster with two people.” 

With that settled, they began on the new oar. Analysing the contents of their small vessel, the front seat seemed to be the most appropriate solution. Felix turned to Hyunjin, “Help me get this off. We can use it as an oar.” 

After a struggle to remove the wood from its fixed position, Felix transfigured the plank into an oar and they began rowing. 

The two of them rowed their hardest, trying to put as much distance between them and any other creatures that were out to get them. Jisung monitored from behind, jinxing any Grindylow that latched onto the boat. As Bowtruckle Island got closer, the creatures eventually stopped their assault, and the boys eagerly set foot on land. 

Retrieving the bark proved to be more mundane of a task than they anticipated. By the time they arrived at the island, the sun was beginning to set and most of the bowtruckles were nowhere to be seen. The few that did emerge, instinctively protecting their tree, were easy enough to placate with the woodlice they brought. 

By the time 5:30 came around, the boys had collected all the ingredients on the list and were beginning to leave, boarding their boat. 

Their decision to walk back to Hogwarts was unanimous. Given their scare and night having fallen, none of them were willing to get back into the water. At least, as much as they could help it. The island was only fifty metres or so from the Great Lake’s southern shoreline, and it would only take them half an hour to walk home. If they were lucky, dinner wouldn’t be over by the time they arrived. 

A few stray Grindylow chased after them, but they were prepared this time. They didn’t cause them much trouble. 

The boys eagerly abandoned the boat once they reached the shore, sparing no glances back as they began their trek back to the castle. The three of them awkwardly followed the shoreline, having no trail to follow until about halfway back to the castle. Hyunjin followed from a short distance behind. 

Along the way, they considered the bizarre situation they were just in. 

Felix was the first to speak, “What just _happened?”_

Jisung responded enthusiastically, “I’ve never heard of the Grindylow actually attacking students! They live at the bottom of the lake, so why were they even up here attacking us? We weren’t bothering them.” 

They contemplated this, before Hyunjin spoke, “Maybe the selkies set them on us?” 

“They shouldn’t have. They’re not supposed to harm students for no reason. We didn’t do anything to them, either.” 

They continued parallel to the shore, Hyunjin remaining slightly behind the other two as they discussed possible explanations for what happened. 

Jisung cheerfully stomped on a crooked stick, snapping it in half, “Should we tell someone? If something is going on in the Lake, someone might actually get hurt. Or die!”

Felix whacked him in the shoulder, giggling, “No one would die!”

Jisung’s eyes widened at that, “You don’t think someone could die? Did you see what just happened? They were probably going to eat us! Thank god I was here, otherwise we’d be dead.”

Hyunjin joined Felix in laughing, which didn’t escape the self-proclaimed hero. 

“No thanks to you,” he teasingly light-heartedly. 

Panic invaded Hyunjin’s eyes, but he controlled his expression, allowing a small chuckle to escape. 

He silently composed himself before commenting, hurriedly changing the subject, “But yes, I think we should tell someone.”

The other two nodded in agreement, before Felix chirped in, “Can we have dinner first?”

“Yes _please_ , I’m starving. Is that okay with you Hyunjin? We can drop off the ingredients afterwards, too.” 

“Yeah, that’s fine. I’m hungry too.” 

||

At the Ravenclaw table, Felix and Jisung joined their friends, filling in the spaces beside Changbin and Seungmin. 

Minho went to greet them before Jisung butted in, “How was deten—”

“ _Guess what just happened!_ ” 

Minho drew back, grinning. 

“Oh!” On the other side of Seungmin sat Jeongin, to Jisung’s surprise. “I didn’t know you were eating with us today.”

Jeongin frowned, “Hyunjin wasn’t there today. I couldn’t find him so I figured I’d just eat here.” 

“Mmh!” Felix made a gesture for him to wait, mouth filled with peas he’d immediately stuffed in upon sitting down. 

Changbin cut in before he had the chance, “That was the kid you had detention with, right?”

Jeongin’s eyes widened with concern, “Hyunjin had detention? What for?” 

Felix smacked Changbin’s thigh before continuing for him, “I have no idea, actually. We had it for being loud. Got it from Docherty.”

Jeongin’s gaze was alive, “What’d you have to do? You look pretty scruffy.” 

“Oh right. We got attacked by Grindylow!”

Minho looked perplexed at that, Jeongin wide-eyed across from him, “Grindylow?”

Felix joined in, “I know right? We had to restock the Potions storeroom. One of the items was wiggentree bark. On the way to Bowtruckle Island, a swarm of them just attacked from under our boat! They stole an oar and kept trying to tip us over!”

“There were dozens of them! I couldn’t count them all.” 

“How? _What_?” Chan was beyond confused. “Grindylow have never attacked students before.” 

“Well... No, they haven’t... So I don’t understand why they decided to now. Some started climbing into the boat and everything. We had to walk all the way back from the other side of the lake when we were finished. No way were we gonna take our chances in the water again.”

Changbin grinned at that, “That’s why you’re so late?” 

Jisung poked his tongue at him. 

Jeongin pressed them more, “How’s Hyunjin?”

Felix responded, “He’s fine. We’re all fine, thanks for asking. But, is he afraid of water or something? He was adamant about not casting the Revulsion Jinx… He didn’t seem afraid before then, though” 

Jeongin, now occupied with searching for Hyunjin at the Hufflepuff table, replied offhandedly, “I don’t know if he’s afraid of water, but he probably just didn’t have his wand with him.” As soon as he caught sight of his messy black hair, Jeongin immediately scoffed down the last of his potatoes. 

Felix frowned. “Why wouldn’t he? We had class before detention; he would have needed it then, at least.”

Speaking around a mouth-full, “Mnot sure. Just doesn’t usually have it on ‘im.” Plate cleared, he stood up, “I’m gonna go see him. See yas tomorrow. I might be back a little later than usual, Jisung.”

“Byee,” he waved distractedly, also gazing around for Hyunjin. 

They continued as he left. “Maybe that’s what he got detention for; not bringing his wand,” Seungmin remarked before nibbling at a chicken wing. 

Felix seemed to shrug with his face, then gave his attention to Changbin, content with tuning out of the conversation there. 

Jisung wasn’t done yet. “Has a student gotten detention for not having a wand before?”

Chan was the first to respond, “I mean… not that I’ve heard of. But I’ve never heard of a student not carrying it with them, either, so… Not for class nor detention, I mean.”

Minho steered them in another direction, “Anyway, have you told a teacher?”

“We’re going to after dinner. We still have to drop off the ingredients at the Potions classroom. We came straight here from the lake.”

||

Entering his room was a lot more awkward than usual; for Hyunjin, at least. Any other day, Hyunjin would comfortably walk through the door, give a polite greeting and get ready to wash-up, paying no mind to his roommates scattered on each other’s beds. 

Tonight, however, Hyunjin couldn’t help his wandering eyes, looking for the boy he shared detention with.

To no avail.

Felix was absent. The friendly boy had shyly approached Jeongin and Hyunjin at the Hufflepuff table after eating his own dinner, conscious of the serious conversation the two seemed to be having as Hyunjin played with a pea on his plate.

Felix hesitated, waiting for one of the boys to notice his presence. Hyunjin noticed him first but stayed silent, assuming he was here for Jeongin.

“What’s up, Lix?”

“Ah,” he turned his gaze to the other, “Hyunjin! Jisung and I are ready to take those ingredients back. I just wanted to see if you were ready or not. It’s fine if you’re not! We’re happy to take them back ourselves if you’d be okay with that.”

Hyunjin immediately went to protest, feeling guilty at the idea of leaving his detention-partners with a task he was partly responsible for.

But Jeongin cut in for him, “That would be great Felix! We’re still in the middle of our conversation, which we can’t really postpone.” He stared at Hyunjin as he said this, his eyes begging. 

Hyunjin backed down, conflicted but knowing where Jeongin was coming from. He secretly appreciated his friend’s actions.

“Great! We’ll be off then. Oh, it was nice to finally meet you, Hyunjin. Like, properly. Sort of properly.” He smiled and gave a little wave as he left.

Before their detention, Hyunjin kept to himself as much as he could. Other than small interactions during classes or in their dorm, he’d never had an opportunity to really get to know any of his roommates. Well, he supposed there would have been opportunities, but he’d never cared to use them.

Now, Hyunjin discovered things about their room he’d never noticed before. Like, and this was quite surprising to him, two cats.

He hadn’t known any of his roommates had pets. He supposed, he kept his head down most of the time, being slightly paranoid about invading their personal space, but not noticing cats? 

An orange cat was splayed out on his roommate Minho’s bed, who in turn was giving them a wonderful scratch, if the faint purring was anything to go by.

Hyunjin watched the feline for a moment, then was transfixed by the brown cat traversing the roof of the four-poster bed across the room.

“Hey.”

He startled.

Minho was looking at him now, smiling kindly. Hyunjin didn’t respond immediately, thrown completely off-guard and waiting to ensure he was talking to him. He fumbled for a response.

“… Hey,” he smiled back.

The room was quiet again as Hyunjin’s mind went haywire, at a loss of how to approach this situation. Should he keep the conversation going? What could he say? Did Minho want to have a conversation, or was he just saying hi?

He settled with “I didn’t know you had cats.”

He was quiet, but Minho heard him clearly. “I only have Soonie. The other’s not mine,” he pointed across the room.

“Who’s are they?”

“Don’t know. She visits when she pleases. I saw her outside the window one night and just opened it for her. She jumped right in.” He readjusted on his bed, now sitting with his legs crossed, careful not to disturb the creature. “She visits all the time now.”

Feeling a little more at ease with the direction this was going, Hyunjin relaxed in his bed, observing the white cat as she stretched out.

“She loves scratches. Do you want to try?”

“O—Okay.”

Minho scooted towards his pillows as Hyunjin tip-toed over, careful not to scare the cat.

He sat down on the edge of the bed and leant closer to her. “Scratch just behind her ear.”

Hyunjin followed his guidance, gently scratching behind Soonie’s ear with his nails. After doing so for some time with no apprehensive reaction from her, Hyunjin felt at ease.

A few minutes later, Felix finally returned. Not surprisingly, the sight of Hyunjin scratching Soonie on Minho’s bed was… bizarre.

“Hey~?”

Hyunjin, uncomfortable with the extra attention he knew was on him now—no matter how discrete his roommates tried to be—carefully made his way back to his section of the room, painfully aware of the eyes following him.

“Hey, Hyunjin,” Felix was smiling at him, “We got those ingredients back safely, so there’s no need to worry.”

Sheepish, Hyunjin thanked him before sitting down at his bed, resuming the nightly routine he’d neglected.

“Uh, one more thing,” Hyunjin looked back over at him. “I was thinking… I know Jeongin eats dinner with you every other night… But sometimes he doesn’t, so. If you ever want to join us, you’re more than welcome! I promise we’re all friendly. And Jeongin will be there, of course.”

Hyunjin, taken aback, looked over at Minho to make sure he was aware of the conversation. He made eye contact with him and was gifted another warm smile as said boy nodded along.

A single butterfly flew through Hyunjin’s stomach, warming him, protesting the sharp fear in his head telling him not to accept the offer. The idea of sitting with Jeongin’s group of friends was… intimidating, however, the fact that someone had offered or even seemed interested in Hyunjin’s presence left him gasping for an appropriate response.

“I really appreciate the offer. Uhm, can I think about it?”

“Absolutely! Please don’t feel pressured. You don’t have to say yes. The offer is there though. Just join us if you ever feel comfortable, or come with Jeongin!”

“Thanks,” Hyunjin finished, slowly drifting back into his routine, different sides of his mind battling for dominance, arguing over this new predicament.

Despite any apprehension and how nervous the prospect of willingly hanging out with anyone other than Jeongin made him feel, Hyunjin slept slightly more comfortably that night.

  
  


<—

The seed pod hit him smack in the back of his head just as he reached for the gate latch. 

“Oi!”

His younger brother scooted up towards him, threatening to throw another. Hyunjin squealed as his ran for cover inside the yard, seeking refuge behind the Cubby House.

“I am speed~ I am strength~ Do not doubt me again!” His brother waddled through the gate, scooter awkwardly swinging between his legs as he ran, holding it high by the handle bars.

“Okayokayokay!” Hyunjin protected his face with his arms. “No more or you can make your own food.”

At that, of course his brother stopped.

After putting their scooters away, the two boys strolled inside, excited to get out of their school uniforms.

Hyunjin’s destination was his bedroom; he skipped past the collection of empty wine bottles beside the kitchen sink, past his mother’s bedroom door, tightly shut.

Oh no.

He halted, rapidly moving into a silent walk, toes first like a fox. He hadn’t realised she was sleeping.

After emptying his bag and changing from his uniform, he shuffled outside, intent on fulfilling his end of the bribe: make his brother’s afternoon tea, and in exchange he’ll do the dishes. 

But just as he feared, his mother groggily opened her door, annoyance smothering her face.

Hesitantly, Hyunjin greeted her, “Hey, Mummy.”

…

Perhaps she hadn’t heard him?

“Hi, Mum.”

“Hi.” Sharp and to-the-point.

“How was your day?”

She mumbled, incoherent to Hyunjin’s young ears.

“Pardon?”

Her expression shifted at that, annoyance evident in the way she lolled her head to the side and snapped, “Let me wake up first.” 

“Okay, sorry.” He backed off then, head down as he dawdled to the kitchen.

A few tense hours later (they were tense for Hyunjin), his mother calls over from the couch as Hyunjin walks by.

“I’m sorry for seeming angry before. My back’s been giving me grief all day and I just finally fell asleep, but you two were being loud and woke me up. I’ve only had an hour’s rest.”

“No it’s okay, I understand.” He shouldn’t have been upset with her. “How is your back now?”

“Still sore. I didn’t get any sleep but I think it’s worse now from lying down for too long. Do you think you could give me a massage tonight? With the machine.”

Hyunjin happily agrees, “Yeah, I can. On the table or the couch?”

“The table would be amazing.”

…

After doing the dishes that night (his brother hadn’t kept his end of the bargain, although Hyunjin should have expected that), Hyunjin chucked those empty bottles in the Wheelie Bin, wincing as the glasses collided.

**Author's Note:**

> I’ve chosen songs for each chapter that are somehow related to it and will progress with the story! The songs for this chapter are:  
> SLUMP – Stray Kids  
> Sad Forever – Lauv  
> Human – Christina Perri
> 
>   
> I made a cover edit for this story on Twitter!  
> [Twitter](https://twitter.com/Scauby_?s=09)  
> [Curious Cat](http://curiouscat.me/Scauby)


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